Eugene

Greetings!

Can someone recommend reasonably priced hotels in St. Petersburg and Moscow. I'm looking for something in the neighborhood of $40-60/night. Prerequisites: separate room with shower.

Thank you in advance for your recommendations.

P.S. Marc, you must be able to help me out as you seem to be very knowledgable on the subject of traveling in Eastern Europe.

Marc David Miller

Thank you for the compliment.

Try

www.tourintel.ru

for less-expensive hotels in Moscow/Petersburg they have good coverage. Try (in St Petersburg) the Sovetskaya and in Moscow the Ukraine or Rossiya--the Rossiya has a great location, ok rooms; the Ukraine is one of the best examples of Stalinst architecture in Russia (ironic, "Stalin" buildings are as sought after for residences in Moscow as "pre-war" buildings are in New York), although its location is a bit of a walk to sights/metro.

Eugene

Thanks, Marc!

Btw, I booked Finnair for my and my girlfriend's 11-day May trip to St. Pit (from JFK) for $570/ticket (including all taxes).

Alli

Eugene-
You will love St. Petersburg and Moscow. I was there last year and was fascinated. I do not know of anywhere there that you would want to stay for $40-$60 a night. My husband and I stayed in a moderate hotel in St. Petersburg (Pulskivaya?) and paif $120- good ways out of town and 2 twin beds and OK bathroom. Very nice for the city though. The Intourist in Moscow is perfect. Right by Red Square and the Kremlin. Nice room, friendly staff. It's also right by a pizza place which you will want as the food in Russia is pretty disgusting. (They also serve American beer) Check out this website- it might help. Enjoy- Russian people are wonderful.

http://www.hotels.spb.ru/

Marc David Miller

-The Intourist in Moscow closed this January and is being rebuilt into a 5* property. And I would disagree that the best food in Russia is the Patio Pizza that was located in the lobby of that hotel.

Eugene

Alli and Mark,

Thanks again for your suggestions. I am actually of Russian background and do not mind eating authentic Russian food I have visited St. Petersburg twice before: in 1989 and 1999, but both of those trips were pre-arranged and organized by someone else: in 1989 I traveled as part of a large school group and in 1999 I spent one month in our firm's St. Petersburg office (the firm paid my airfare and got me a nice 2-bedroom apartment on Chaikovskiy Street, within a 15-minute walking distance of the Russian museum). This time, however, I may have to secure my own accommodations (staying with a friend on Vasilievsky island is also a possibility).

Going back to the "food" problem, I still do not understand why Russian food has such a negative reputation. Sure there are some "exotic" Russian dishes I would not want to eat, but, generally, you can find something that has American equivalents (blintzes, pasta, etc.) For example, for lunch we would frequently go to this place called "BBC" (actually stands for VVS - the Russian Air Force) on Sadovaya street, off Nevsky. $2-3 (in 1999) there would buy you a full meal of salad or soup, blintzes with red caviar, a pastry and a soft drink.

Anyway, I have another question. I have tentative plans to carve out 2 days out of my 11-day trip for visiting Moscow. I'd probably prefer taking the overnight train from St. Petersburg. Hence, 1) do I need to get tickets for that train in advance (if yes, how long in advance)? and 2) what's the approximate cost for superior accommodations?

Any other tips/suggestions (whether related or unrelated to my previous questions) will be greatly appreciated.

Marc David Miller

Buy your tickets for the train as soon as you get there, but not really necessary in advance (trains do sell out, but you should be able to get something if you allow at least a day or two in advance, depending on the season).

What superior accomodations do you mean? The train is about $40/person for the two-bed compartment from what I recall.

You will be amazed on how much better the dining situation is in Petersburg today even versus 1999--Backstage, Restoran, Stare Cafe, Shinook, Caravan--all good quality restaurants, all about $20-40/person for dinner (in 1999 it seemed like the only upscale choices were restaurants with sleazy floor shows, Nobles' Nest at $125/person, a couple of bistros, and that's it).

Leon

In St Pete there ARE cheap and reasonable hotels. I stayed in one last July called German House (or something like that). Very big room, clean bathroom, friendly staff, breakfast included. The hotel is located on two floors of a big Stalin era aparetment building (you will NOT be able to find it unless you know where to go). I paid $30 for night for 2 (I have a Russian passport though, the price for foreigners was about $50 but still ..). The only downside was the location - on a major road and subway line but not in the centre. I was getting rides to Nevsky for $2 in cars though. So if you are a little adventurous - do not stick with Western brands and you'll pay 1/4 the price

Marc David Miller

Regarding my comment on train ticket purchasing: at least in the summer get your tickets in advance as the trains sell out frequently. I couldn't get a ticket for the date that I desired in June/July.